Adjustable coupling.



` 'J.0.H.ARR1S.

' DJUSTABLE GOUPLING;

APPLIOATION HLD BBB. 18, 1909.

Patented Apr. 18, 1911.

rrn srns i rsn'r JOHN C. HARRIS, OF WATERLOO, IOWA, ASSIGNOR T0 LITCI-IFIELD MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, OF WATERLOO, IOWA.

ADJUS'I'ABLE COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented pl', 18, 1911,

Application filed February 13, 1909. Serial No. 477,715.

T0 all whom 'it may concem:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. HARRIS, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of VVaterloo, Blackhawk county, Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates 'to improvements in adjustable couplings, and the objects of my invention are to provide appropriate, silnple and convenient means for detachably coupling and securing a sprocketor gearrim to a spoked wheel, for transverse adjustment relative thereto, and also to so form and modify such coupling and the sprocketor gear-rim that such rim may be readily secured in turn to Wheels which difier in the respective number of their spokes. These objects I have accomplished by the means which are hereinafter fully described and claimed, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wagonwheel having a sprocketor gear-rim detachably secured thereto by my improved couplings. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse aXial section through said wheel and rim.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of ,said rim show-' ing the arrangement of its transverse slots to adapt it to be fitted to wheels having different numbers of spokes. Fig'. 4 is a perspective view of the slotted spacing body of my improved coupljng. Fig. 5 is a per= spective view of the spoke seat adapted' for longit-udi'nal adjustment along said slotted spacing body. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the U-bolt used for detachably securing said spoke-seat to said slotted spacing body. Fig. T is a detail view, showing the means used to detachably secure said slotted spacing body to a sprocketor gear-rim. Fig. S is a broken detail of a wheel-spoke and a sprocket- 01' gear-rim, showing the improved coupling in use to adjustably secure them together.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughoutthe several views.

My invention resides both in the modification of the sprocketor gear-rim, and also in the specific means used for coupling such a rim to a spoked wheel to permit of transversely adjusting the distance of the rim apart from the wheel. It is used in practice, particularly as a component of the driving-mechanism of a manure-spreader, where the sprocketor gear-rim is secured to and driven by one of the carrying spoked-wheels of the wagon which carries the distributing means, such means being driven by said rim and its accompanying coacting means therefor. As often happens, particularly when the said distributing-means is mounted on a removable box or receptacle, which may be placed at will on any set of wagon runninggear, the spokes in such running-gear Wheels may vary in number from the number employed in other carrying-wheels, and it is thus advisable to adapt the coupling-means so that a rim may be secured to either kind of carrying-wheel. I have adapted the sprocket-rim, which is shown in Fig. 3, for that purpose, as follows: The web or inturned flange 2 of the rim is provided with a plurality of transverse orifices or slots 9, of varying lengths and spaced at varying distances apart, such slots a-ffording seat-s for bolts 4;, which pass transversely through them. The number, length, and distance of separation of such slots are calculated in advance to accommodate for adjustably securing the rim to Wheels, in turn, having twelve, fourteen or sixteen spokes. If desired, the number, length, and spacing of such slots may be further varied in order to accommodate such rim to be fitted to wheels having still different numbers of spokes, since the principle involved in my invent-ion is not thus departed from. My means for coupling said rim to the spokes '7, in each case, consists of the following coacting' elements. The transversely directed spacing body 5 is longitudinally slotted at 8 throughout nearly its whole length, in order to permit of the rim 2 being brought quite closely to the spokes 7. The said spacingbody has one end fianged at right-angles thereto, such fianged end being widened to provide an extension 14 to one side, and the extension having a bolt-hole 10 to receive the bolt 4, a nut 13 then securing the extension and the rim 2 together.

A saddle-shaped block 6 is used to fit one of the sides of a spoke 7 as a seat therefor,

its opposite fiat edge contacting With one of p versely separate them from each other forl the particular use necessary. Then the run is adjusted in distance from the spokes so as to rest as close thereto as possible, the side- Wise extension 14 of the spacing-body 5 becomes useful by affording room for the bolt 4 and its nut 13, to one side of the nearest U-bolt nut 11, preventing interference in the manipulation of the nuts. The close fit between the rim and spokes thereby occasioned, permits of the use of either a sprocket-wheel or gear-wheel in coperation with such rim, located within the bounds of the wheel-tira, and thus in a manurespreader, space is gained between the opposite carrying-wheels for a wagon-box of relatively large width, or for the location of other mechanisms therebetween. The wheel showr in Fig. 1 has fourteen spokes, and it is evident that the rim shown in Fig. 3 may be adjusted to fit Wheels having either twelve, fourteen or sixteen spokes, the numbers most commonly used, by coupling to alternate spokes, without difficulty.

IIaving described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The combination with a spoked carrying-wheel and a sprocketor gear-rim, of a longitudinally-slotted spacing-body having one end projected at an angle therefrom, means for detachably securing the projected end of said body to said rim, a block having a seat for one side of a spoke of said carrying-wheel and formed for sliding adjustment along said spacing-body, and a U-bolt engaging said spoke and seat-block and secured detachably and adjustably in the lon-v gitudinal slot of said spacing-body.

2. The combination with a spoked wheel and a sprocketor gear-rim, of a spacingbody having one end projected at an angle thereto and widened to extend sidewise thereto, said rim and the extended part of said projection having registering orifices, means inserted in said orifices adapted to detachably secure said spacing-body and rim together, and a clip engaging a spoke of said wheel and secured to said spacing-body for longitudinal adjustment therealong.

3. The combination with a spoked wheel and a sprocketor gear-rim, of a spacingbody having one end projected at an angle thereto, such body being longitudinally- 'th'roughout its length and located adjacent to each of said clips, seat-blocks located between the spokes and the spacing-bodies, means for securng, each clip detachably and adjustably over its adjacent spoke and seat-block and in the slot of the adjacent spacing-body, each spacing-body havi ing one end projected therefrom at an angle thereto, each projection having an orificed extension to one side of the main spacing-body, said rim having a plurality of orifices therein and thereabout variously spaced apart, said clips having their ends inserted in certain ones of the orifices in said rim and in the orifices of the projections on said spacing-bodies, and means adapted to detachably secure said clips to said rim.

5. In combination, a spoked vehicle-wheel, a driven member mounted adjacent thereto and adjustably connected to spokes in said vehicle-wheel by means of slotted bodies and U-bolts passing around said spokes and through said slotted bodies in a laterallyadjustable manner.

6. In combination, a spoked vehicle-wheel, a drivingsprocketor gear-rim, said rim being attached to spokes of said Vehiclewheel by means of longitudinally-slotted members, each member being adjustably attached to one of said spoke's by means of a U-bolt passed about the latter with its members passing through the longitudinal'slot in said slotted body, and means for adjustably fastening said U -bolt to said slotted body.

7.' In combination, a supporting vehiclewheel, a gearor sprocket-rim attached to certain of the spokes of said supporting wheel by means of U-bolts, each of the latter p-assing about one of said spokes, a longitudinally-slotted connecting-member located adjacent to each of said bolts and extending therefrom to said gearor sprocketrim, said U-bolt secured to said connecting-member in its longitudinal slot for longitudinal adjustment therealong, and said connectingmember being fastened to said sprocket-rim in a manner to permit of close adjustment of the said spokes to said rim.

8. In combination, a supporting vehiclewheel, a gearor sprocket-rim attached to spokes of said supporting wheel by means of spaoing-members, said spacing-members being longitudinally-slotted, each of said members being offset at the rim-connecting end thereof for connection to said rim, and said spokes being clamped to said connectingor spacing-members at any desired point within the length of the slot in each of the latter.

9. In combination, a rotatable body, another body concentric therewith and located adjacent thereto, a plurality of spacingand connecting-bodies between said firstand second-mentioned bodies and connected detachably to both, and adapted to adjustably space them apart transversely, each of said spacing-bodies having an offset foot or projection extending sidewise from it at a right angle for connection to said second-mentioned body to permit of any desired adjustment between the firstand secondmentioned bodies.

10. In combination, a rotatable spoked wheel, a sprocketor gear-rim mounted adjacent to one face thereof and conoentrio therewith, and detachable connections between certain spokes of said wheel and said rim each consisting of a spacing-bar detachtably connected to said rim and a projection detachably extending from one of said spokes, longitudinally-adjustable along and detachably secured to said spacing-bar.

11. In combination, a rotatable,` spoked wheel, a sprocketor gear-rim mounted adj acent to one face thereof and concentric therewith, and connections between certain spokes of said wheel and said rim each consisting of a spacing-bar connected to said rim and extending by one side of said spokes, and means surrounding each spoke and connecting with, and longitudinally-adjustable along, said spacing-bar.

12. In combination, a vehicle-wheel, a sprocketor gear-rim attached to said vehicle-wheel by means of spacing bodies, said bodies being firmly fastened to said rim and also fastened to said vehicle-wheel by threaded bolts passing through said bodies at right angles to said members, and located substantially parallel with the adjacent plane surface of said rim.

13. In combination, a vehicle-wheel, a sprocketor gear-rim attached to said Vehicle-wheel by means of spacing bodies, said 'bodies being firmly fastened to said rim, and

also fastened to said vehicle-wheel by threaded bolts passing through said bodies at right angles to said members, said bolts being located substantially parallel with the adj acent plane surface of said rim, and said bolts being adjustable longitudinally along said connectng-members.

14;. In combination, a vehicle-wheel, a sprocketor gear-rim attached to said vehicle-wheel by means of connecting-members, said members being fastened to said vehiclewheel by means of threaded bolts passing I through said members at right angles thereto, said connecting-members also being fastened to said gear-rim by bolts passing through said rim and through an offset portion of said conneoting members, otherwise than in a plane with said first-mentioned threaded bolts.

15. In combination, a sprocketor gearrim with projecting members for connection with the spokes of a vehicle-wheel, a spoked vehicle-wheel, certain of the spokes of the latter being connected to said members by means of threaded bolts which bolts are adjustable longitudinally along said members, said connecting members also being secured to said rim by means of bolts passed through right-angled offset portions on said connecting-members, through which portions saicl last-mentioned bolts may pass without being in line with the first-mentioned spoke-bolts.

Signed at W'aterloo, Iowa, this 27 th day of January 1909.V

JOHN C. HARRIS.

Witnesses RAY A. HOLDIMAN, E. D. STovER.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissoner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

